the rise of the sharing economy · 2015-12-04 · the sharing economy has been on an exponential...

The rise of the sharing economyThe Indian landscapeOctober 2015

The sharing economy has been on an exponential growth curve over the last couple of years and has been the subject of considerable interest to the stakeholders and policy-makers across the globe.

Technology is pivotal to the growing concept of sharing economy, to enable scale and enhance economic impact. A number of sharing platforms have emerged which enable individuals to share goods and services like cars, houses, household products and services. The proliferation of mobile devices has heralded a digital revolution to serve as a catalyst of growth.

The appeal of the sharing economy lies in the fact that the sharing platforms create a win-win situation for all the stakeholders. The benefits of the sharing economy are manifold - including on-demand access to goods and services, efficient utilization of unused inventory of assets across industries, leading to a multiplier effect such as increased employment, consumerism, digital literacy and the rise of micro-entrepreneurship.

The concept of the sharing economy is still at a nascent stage in India. While sharing personal products (such as one’s own home or car) which the owner is using currently is still negligible when compared to the West, the adoption of sharing platforms has been encouraging. This has been driven by the emergence of aggregators in industries like personal transportation and hotel room bookings.

For the sharing economy to make further in-roads in India, the sharing platforms will have to address a few key imperatives. This includes fostering trust between the individuals involved in a transaction. A technology platform that provides a transparent pricing, verified listings and background checks, and assured delivery of services will reinforce consumer faith in these platforms.

We believe that the sharing economy will open up a number of interesting possibilities across different economic activities and change the future of work, production, and collaboration. The sharing economy also represents a paradigm shift in the employment market and enables many individuals to attain gainful employment through the rise of micro-entrepreneurship.

This report aims to understand the landscape of the sharing economy in India, the associated benefits and challenges. This report also covers various stakeholders’ perspectives on the drivers and challenges in adopting the concept. We hope you find this report useful.

Ravi Gururaj Chairman, Nasscom Product Council

Foreword

The concept of “sharing” is not entirely new as some of the earliest forms of human transactions involved bartering of goods and services without any monetary exchange. The digital evolution brought about by technology has taken this concept forward and created opportunities where individuals can monetize their skills and suitably use underutilised resources.

The emergence of sharing platforms is changing the way traditional industries such as travel and transportation, food & beverages, accommodation and services conduct business, and is forcing the relevant stakeholders to re-evaluate their business models. The sharing economy has far reaching implications; some prominent positive ones including increased convenience, improved resource utilization, job creation, improved digital awareness and environmental benefits. The growth of the sector is evident from the fact the global sharing economy is forecasted to grow at a CAGR of 139.4% to reach US$115 billion by 2016 from US$3.5 billion in 2012.

In many countries, it is observed that “shareable goods” (such as vehicles, drills, lawn-movers) account for 20-30% of household expenditure. If the sharing economy platforms are effectively used, they would help improve the utilization of these underutilised shareable goods, thereby reducing the overall spends.

In the Indian context, the appeal of the sharing economy as a concept lies in the fact that personal asset ownership (such as cars) is comparatively lower. The sharing economy, by its very nature emphasizes on the re-use of assets rather than absolute ownership, which helps individuals to experience the benefits of these assets without really owning them. On the supply side, the sharing economy is transforming the work force and is making the road to entrepreneurship more accessible for many people.

In India, the biggest impact of the sharing economy has been felt in the personal transportation space, where the emergence of these platforms has made it convenient for any individual to commute from one point to another. The concept has also become very relevant to industries like accommodation, food and grocery, household goods and healthcare. It is also likely to emerge as a growth driver for other specialised and niche services like hyper local, medical appointments and supplies, unorganised service sector expansion among others.

We believe this sector is poised to grow and the entire stakeholder community within the sharing economy ecosystem including the society, government and regulators will witness the underlying benefits this offers. The extent of success of the concept will also depend on how proactively the requirements of the sharing economy are addressed from a regulatory and policy perspective.

The insights in this report are based on detailed and comprehensive interactions with various stakeholders including sharing economy companies, consumers, suppliers, investors and lawyers among others and we would like to thank each one for the time taken to share their perspective with us that has made the analysis more meaningful.

Ranjan Biswas, Partner and National Director, Technology, Media, Telecom Ernst & Young LLP

Ankur Pahwa, Partner, Technology, Media, Telecom Ernst & Young LLP

Foreword

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Impact and benefits of the sharing economy

Challenges and regulatory hurdlesfor the sharing economy

Sharing economy and its role in keyinitiatives of the Government of India

The opportunity ahead forthe sharing economy in India

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6 The r ise o f t he shar ing eco no m y The Indian landscape

The shar ing eco no m y is a so cio - eco no m ic eco sy st em b u ilt ar o u nd t he shar ing o f hu m an and phy sical r eso u r ces. It

inclu des t he shar ed cr eat io n, pr o du ct io n, dist r ib u t io n, t r ade and co nsu m pt io n o f g o o ds and ser v ices b y dif f er ent peo ple and organizations.

S har ing eco no m y act iv it ies f all int o f o u r b r o ad cat eg o r ies:

• R ecir cu lat io n o f g o o ds

• Increased utilization of durable assets

• E x chang e o f ser v ices

• S har ing o f pr o du ct iv e asset s

S har ing b u sinesses eit her :

1 . O w n g o o ds o r pr o v ide ser v ices t hat t hey r ent t o cu st o m er s, o f t en o n a sho r t - t er m b asis, o r

2 . C r eat e peer - t o - peer plat f o r m s co nnect ing pr o v ider s and u ser s f o r t he ex chang e, pu r chase, o r r ent ing o f g o o ds and ser v ices. 1

This can enco m pass ev er y t hing f r o m cr o w d- f u nding sit es t o o n-dem and t echno lo g ies, su ch as U b er and O la ( t r anspo r t at io n) ,

1 R au ch. D aniel E . and D av id S chleicher . L ik e U b er , B u t f o r L o cal G o v er nm ent al P o licy : The F u t u r e o f L o cal R eg u lat io n o f t he S har ing E co no m y . G eo r g e M aso n L aw & E co no m ics R esear ch P aper , N o . 1 5 - 0 1

2 “ S har e. D o n’ t O w n: The S har ing eco no m y t ak es o f f , ” F o r b es India w eb sit e, w w w . f o r b esindia. co m / ar t icle/ chg sb / shar e. - do n’ t - o w n- t he- shar ing - eco no m y - t ak es-o f f / 3 9 2 4 1 / 0 , accessed 3 0 S ept em b er 2 0 1 5 ;

to hospitality platforms such as Stayzilla, Stayology and OYO R o o m s ( ho spit alit y ) . The u nit ing f act o r f o r t hese co m panies and init iat iv es is t heir ab ilit y t o b r ing peo ple t o g et her , o f t en through an online platform, to share or exchange underutilized asset s w it ho u t lar g e t r ansact io n co st s.

The shar ing eco no m y has spu r r ed “ m icr o - ent r epr eneu r s” and f acilit at ed t he cr eat io n o f new m ar k et s and eco no m ic act iv it y where none previously existed. Enterprising citizens can now g ener at e inco m e b y r ent ing asset s as v ar ied as f u r nit u r e, cam ping eq u ipm ent and par k ing spo t s.

The pr o lif er at io n o f dig it al plat f o r m s and m o b ile applicat io ns in r ecent y ear s has b een t he pr im ar y dr iv er f o r t he m o m ent u m in co llab o r at iv e co nsu m pt io n in r ecent y ear s. A lt ho u g h it is a r elat iv ely new co ncept in India, it is pr ev alent acr o ss t he g lo b e in t he f o r m o f peer - t o - peer r ideshar ing ( B laB laC ar ) , acco m m o dat io n- shar ing and r ent ing ho u seho ld it em s. G lo b ally , t he shar ing eco no m y is est im at ed t o g r o w at a C A G R o f 1 3 9 . 4 % t o r each U S $ 1 1 5 b illio n b y 2 0 1 6 f r o m U S $ 3 . 5 b illio n in 2 0 1 2 . 2

D iagram 1 : S egments of the sharing economy

P eo ple/ S k ills

H o u seho ld g o o ds

H ealt h

E du cat io n

L o g ist ics

Tr anspo r t at io n

F inancial ser v ices

A cco m o dat io n

7The Indian landscape

D iagram 2 : S haring economy ecosystem

C onsu mers A ggregators/ mark etpl aces S u ppl iers

D riv ers• R ising m o b ile ado pt io n

• H ig h int er net penet r at io n

• G r o w t h in dig it al plat f o r m s

• Q u ick m ar k et penet r at io n and hig her r ev enu es

• H ig h speed int er net av ailab ilit y

• Current inefficiencies in services

• Better resource utilization

• E x panded co nsu m er r each and f ast er g o - t o - m ar k et

Benefits

• O n- dem and ser v ices

• C o nv enience

• L o w er pr ices

• S har ed ex per iences

• Personalized/customized pr o du ct / ser v ice

• C ho ice o f m u lt iple o pt io ns

• Increased efficiencies

• B r and cr eat io n

• B et t er su pplier pr ices

• L o w er capit al int ensit y

• Incr eased b u siness du e t o w ider m ar k et r each

• D ig it al lit er acy

• S o cial m o b ilit y

• S k ill dev elo pm ent

• B r and cr eat io n

C hal l enges• Tr u st and saf et y st andar ds

• C o nsist ent ser v ice ex per ience

• S t r eam lining o per at io ns

• R eg u lat o r y co nsider at io ns

• M anag em ent o f u nco nv ent io nal w o r k f o r ce

• D eliv er ing co nsist ent ser v ice q u alit y

• Insu r ance and secu r it y o f asset s

• Inf r ast r u ct u r al challeng es

• C o nsist ent and q u alit y ser v ice ex per ience

D emand sid e S u ppl y sid e

S har ing eco no m y pr o v ider s ( ag g r eg at o r s, m ar k et places,

t echno lo g y pr o v ider s)

This shar ing eco no m y co u pled w it h new t echno lo g ies dr iv es substantial economic, social and environmental benefits b y cu t t ing do w n co st s, co nser v ing r eso u r ces and r edu cing env ir o nm ent al im pact .

The shar ing eco no m y ser v ices in m o st sect o r s in India ar e in it s init ial st ag es. N o net heless, t he ado pt io n o f plat f o r m s has b een

enco u r ag ing , led b y t he w illing ness o f co nsu m er s t o t r y new t hing s and t he ease o f g o ing cashless t hr o u g h sm ar t pho nes. The sharing economy as a concept first became popular in India w it h o n- dem and t r anspo r t at io n plat f o r m s. The t r end is no w b eing f o llo w ed b y o t her sect o r s inclu ding ho spit alit y and f o o d & b ev er ag e.


“ H av ing a g o o d spr ead o f su pply r eady , ensu r ing ser v ice r eliab ilit y , b u ilding t ech plat f o r m s/ pr o cesses t hat enhance t r u st w it h t he st ak eho lder s ar e so m e o f t he cr it ical capab ilit ies t hat o n- dem and ser v ice ag g r eg at o r s sho u ld po ssess t o su cceed in t he m ar k et . ”

“ D em o g r aphics and sm ar t pho ne penet r at io n ar e k ey dr iv er s t hat ar e acceler at ing t he ado pt io n and u sag e o f t he shar ing eco no m y at t his po int . India, in t he co m ing y ear w ill b e t he w o r ld’ s seco nd lar g est sm ar t pho ne and m o b ile int er net m ar k et pu shing t he U S t o t he t hir d place. In t er m s o f dem o g r aphics, o v er 5 0 % o f t he po pu lat io n is u nder t he ag e o f 2 5 and o v er 6 5 % u nder t he ag e o f 3 0 . B o t h t hese dr iv er s, in co nj u nct io n, w o u ld m ean m o r e and m o r e Indians w o u ld cho o se no t t o b u y a car and inst ead lo o k at t r anspo r t at io n as a ser v ice at t he t ap o f a b u t t o n r at her t han a pr o du ct sit t ing in t heir g ar ag e. ”

Nandan Reddy, Co-founder, Swiggy

Arvind Singhatiya, Vice-President, Corporate affairs, Ola Cabs

C o nsu m er s, o n- dem and t echno lo g y plat f o r m s and su pplier s ar e cr it ical elem ent s o f t he shar ing eco no m y eco sy st em , and their effective interaction leads to increased efficiency aimed at achieving better utilization of resources for all the co ncer ned st ak eho lder s as illu st r at ed b elo w .

• Consumers: F r o m t he dem and side, co nsu m er s see numerous benefits such as on-demand services at lower pr ices, co nv inience and v ar iet y o f o pt io ns.

• On-demand technology providers and suppliers: Ther e are increased benifits such as better utilization of inf r ast r u ct u r e, easier access t o w ider cu st o m er b ase and incr eased b u siness o ppo r t u nit ies f o r m icr o - ent r epr eneu r s.

Incr eased dem and f o r g o o ds and ser v ices enab le su pplier s su ch as ho t els and r est au r ant s t o t ap new cu st o m er g r o u ps w ho can access t heir plat f o r m s v ia t he int er net t hat w er e o t her w ise inaccessib le.

In o r der t o cr eat e t r u st am o ng co nsu m er s, plat f o r m s m u st ensu r e t heir sy st em s allo w f o r co nsist ent ex per ience t o co nsu m er s and su pplier s t o g r o w t heir b u sinesses.


r est au r ant - g o er s and f acilit at ing acceler at ed deliv er y . These b u sinesses ar e m ak ing f o o d deliv er y and pay m ent m o r e efficient. Success in these models is anchored on its user-friendly interface, comprehensive and verified listings, updated inf o r m at io n and analy t ics t o m o r e ef f ect iv ely m at ch su pply w it h dem and. C o m panies act iv e in t his sect o r inclu de S w ig g y , F o o d P anda, Tiny O w l and Z o m at o .

C o m par ed t o “ t r adit io nal” m ar k et s’ , t he o n- dem and shar ing eco no m y , f acilit at ed b y t echno lo g y plat f o r m s, o f f er s t he f o llo w ing u niq u e at t r ib u t es:

• M ore su stainab l e u se of id l e and u nd er- u til iz ed resou rces

• D e- central iz ed ex change, l ead ing to cost red u ctions

• A l ternativ e pricing mod el s su ch as d ynamic pricing

1.1 Landscape of the sharing economyW hile new sect o r s lik e healt h car e, g r o cer ies, handy m an ser v ices, co m m er cial t r u ck s ag g r eg at io n et c hav e m em b er s j o ining t he shar ing eco no m y , t he hig hest ado pt io n r at es ar e seen in t hese t hr ee indu st r ies: t r anspo r t at io n, ho spit alit y and f o o d & b ev er ag es

TransportationThe m o st pr o m inent ex am ples in t he t r anspo r t at io n sect o r ar e o n- dem and t echno lo g y ag g r eg at o r s su ch as U b er and O la. These services allow consumers to connect with a verified near b y dr iv er u ser s w illing t o dr iv e t hem t o t heir dest inat io n f o r r at es set b y t he ser v ice.

The shar ing eco no m y m ay also chang e o t her aspect s o f t he t r anspo r t at io n m ar k et . E m er g ing car - po o ling plat f o r m s hav e em er g ed as an alt er nat e t o b o t h car o w ner ship and car r ent als, by offering convenience and flexibility.

S im ilar ly t his co ncept is b eing applied t o int er / int r a- cit y logistics and movement of goods, thereby, organizing a highly f r ag m ent ed t r anspo r t at io n sect o r and ensu r ing cu st o m er s enj o y a sw if t , sim ple and sm ar t er o n- dem and ser v ice. O w ner s/dr iv er s o f t r adit io nal asset s su ch as t r u ck s and t em po s dr iv er s no w enj o y incr eased, m o r e pr edict ab le and su st ainab le ear ning s.

Hospitality (peer to peer accommodation)N ew b u siness m o dels ar e allo w ing t r av eller s t o f o r g o t r adit io nal ho t els in f av o u r o f r ent ing new o pt io ns lik e spar e rooms and homes. Airbnb, Stayzilla and OYO rooms are among so m e o f t he plat f o r m s f o r acco m m o dat io n cu r r ent ly pr esent in India.

Food and beverage (F&B) The F & B b u siness is t ak ing adv ant ag e o f o n- dem and t echno lo g y plat f o r m s b y cem ent ing t he g ap b et w een

“ A s m o r e Indians b eg in t o em b r ace ser v ices o f f er ed b y t he shar ing eco no m y , w e see t he sect o r g r o w ing b y leaps and b o u nds in t he nex t f ew years. Trust must be achieved as a first st ep b u t m o r e and m o r e Indians ar e em b r acing ser v ices su ch as r ideshar ing b ecau se t he t echno lo g y has m ade it m o r e r eliab le, af f o r dab le and saf e. W e w ill see m o r e play er s ent er t he Indian market just by virtue of its sheer size and po t ent ial. ”

Bhavik Rathod, General Manager Bangalore, Uber India


1.2 Economics of the sharing economyR ecent ly , inno v at iv e o n- dem and t echno lo g ies hav e significantly reduced transaction costs of exchange of goods and ser v ices. They hav e do ne t his b y m ak ing k no w ledg e inex pensiv e and u b iq u it o u s. C o m b ining t his w it h inno v at iv e software platforms, it has significantly extended the ability to co o r dinat e eco no m ic ex chang es.

1.2.1 Transaction costsThe r edu cing t r ansact io n co st s ar ising f r o m new t echno lo g ies hav e had a deep im pact o n t he w ay indiv idu als u nder t ak e eco no m ic ex chang e.

Tr ansact io n co st eco no m ics f o cu s o n m ak ing t he t r ansact io n– r at her t han co m m o dit ies, w hich ar e t he b asic u nit o f analy sis and by assessing governance structures, of which firms and m ar k et s ar e t he leading alt er nat iv e, in t er m s o f t heir capacit ies to economize on transaction costs. A workable concept of t r ansact io n co st s can b e split int o t hr ee m ain par t s:

• S ear ch and inf o r m at io n co st s

• B ar g aining and decisio n co st s

• G o v er nance and enf o r cem ent co st s

A s eco no m ies g r o w , so do t he nu m b er o f po t ent ially , m u t u ally beneficial trades. The problem is that we cannot access all o f t hem . W hen t r ansact io n co st s ar e t o o hig h, m any o f t hese exchanges are rendered “unprofitable” and will not take place.

1.2.2 Dynamic pricing

M ar k et s co o r dinat e k no w ledg e t o m at ch su pply and dem and. The shar ing eco no m y is ab le t o im plem ent sev er al no v el m o dels f o r t his pu r po se. This sect io n t o u ches o n a pr o m inent ex am ple – leading t r anspo r t ag g r eg at o r s’ “ dy nam ic” o r “ su r g e” pr icing m o del. This is o nly o ne o f t he m any ex am ples em er g ing in shar ing eco no m y plat f o r m s.

O n- dem and t echno lo g y t r anspo r t at io n pr o v ider s m ay char g e peak - t im e v ar iab le f ar es in o r der t o ensu r e t hat peo ple g et ar o u nd r eliab ly . P r ice v ar iat io ns u nder t he dy nam ic pr icing model are determined by an algorithm, which analyzes multiple factors to equalize demand and supply to arrive at a rate that incentivizes driver users to provide services at a time where no o t her ser v ice pr o v ider is w illing t o do so .

D y nam ic pr icing is no t dependent o n t he t im e o f t he day , b u t r at her o n t he co ndit io ns at t he po int o f o r ig in. The o b j ect iv e of dynamic pricing is to maximize supply and ensure service pr o v ider s ar e av ailab le t o addr ess ser v ice r eq u est s and hence,

The im po r t ance o f t r ansact io n co st s is b est illu st r at ed t hr o u g h an ex am ple. Y o u m ay b e w illing t o pay so m eo ne IN R 1 0 0 t o w alk do w n t he st r eet and pu r chase a co f f ee. Ther e m ay also b e ano t her indiv idu al w ho is w illing t o u nder t ak e t he t ask f o r IN R 5 0 . Ther e is clearly potential for a mutually beneficial t r ade her e. The r easo n w hy t his m ay no t o ccu r is t r ansact io n co st s — it is lik ely t o t ak e t im e, and po t ent ially m o ney , t o disco v er w ho t he o t her indiv idu al is, b ar g ain a pr ice w it h t hem ( so m ew her e b et w een IN R 5 0 and IN R 1 0 0 ) , and enf o r ce t he ag r eem ent . In t his scenar io , t r ansact io n co st s “ eat u p” the profitability of exchange, preventing mutually beneficial trade from taking place.

W it h less co st ly and ex panded inf o r m at io n, w e can lev er ag e m ar k et m echanism s and m at ch dy nam ic su pply and dem and m o r e accu r at ely .


appr o pr iat ely m eet co nsu m er dem ands. D y nam ic pr icing is applied on a location-specific basis depending on the supply-dem and r at io at a par t icu lar po int in t im e. The m o m ent t hat the supply and demand ratio equalizes and steadies, dynamic pr icing ends and t he b ase m o del o f pr icing r esu m es. M o r e often than not, consumers are always notified of an increase in pr ice and ar e f u lly inf o r m ed o f t he q u ant u m o f su ch dy nam ic chang e.

D y nam ic pr icing m o dels ar e no t lim it ed t o t he t y pe dev elo ped b y t he t r anspo r t ag g r eg at o r s. Tr adit io nally , t he air line and ho t el indu st r ies hav e u sed su pply and dem and m et r ics t o r aise and lo w er pr ices acco r ding ly . E v er r ecall pay ing hig her pr ices o n ho liday w eek ends o r w hen space b eco m es lim it ed?

A no t her r ecent ex am ple is A ir b nb . E ar ly in t heir dev elo pm ent , o ne o f t he leading g lo b al acco m m o dat io n ag g r eg at o r s disco v er ed t hat list ing a “ space” w as a r elat iv ely easy pr o cess until the potential hosts had to pick a price. It set out to fix this pr o b lem t hr o u g h a ser ies o f alg o r it hm s. The co m pany no w pr o v ides pr ice r eco m m endat io ns t o ho st s o n a m o del b ased o n lo cat io n, lik eness and an idea t hat it descr ib e as “ r ecency ” . These pr ice r eco m m endat io ns also inclu de t em per at u r e as a pr o x y f o r seaso nal pat t er ns o f b o o k ing b ehav io r .

S o lu t io ns t o m ar k et - b ased issu es o f dy nam ic pr icing ar e cu r r ent ly b eing t est ed in shar ing eco no m y plat f o r m s acr o ss t he w o r ld. These m o dels ar e all po ssib le du e t o u b iq u it o u s and necessar y k no w ledg e.

Aprameya RadhaKrishna, Former co-founder, TaxiForSure

“ The shar ing eco no m y has b r o u g ht in efficiency and service quality that co nsu m er s hav e no t b een ex per iencing ear lier . B ef o r e t he em er g ence o f ser v ice ag g r eg at o r s, cu st o m er s u sed t o g et char g ed do u b le f o r a r ide. That has no w chang ed t o pay ing as per utilization after the emergence of ag g r eg at o r s and t he t echno lo g y - b ased plat f o r m s, w hich also enab le t he dr iv er u ser s t o g et t he nex t co nsu m er f r o m near the end point of the first ride.”


Impact and benefits of the shar ing eco no m y


The sharing economy provides several benefits across all the eco sy st em st ak eho lder s, inclu ding t he co nsu m er , seller /

ent r epr eneu r and t he plat f o r m .

The shar ing eco no m y has b o o st ed t he ent r epr eneu r ial spir it and t he plat f o r m s ar e co nv er t ing inno v at iv e ideas int o

disruptive businesses. Better resource utilization, social mobility through new jobs, flexibility to operate at one’s co nv enience and sk ill dev elo pm ent ar e so m e o f t he im po r t ant benefits that come to the fore during discussions with st ak eho lder s in t he shar ing eco no m y .

J o b cr eat io n

Tr anspar ency and acco u nt ab ilit y

E nv ir o nm ent and inf r ast r u ct u r e

C o nv enience

S k ill dev elo pm ent

D ig it al lit er acy

S o cial m o b ilit yR eso u r ce u t iliz at io n

Impact of thesharing economy

on society


2.1 Resource utilizationEfficient utilization of resources may be attributed to a better m at ching o f t he dem and/ su pply g ap in a par t icu lar seg m ent . The co nsu m er is t he piv o t w hich t he shar ing eco no m y r ev o lv es ar o u nd. W it h t he w o r ld b eco m ing m o r e m o b ile, t he co nsu m er ex pect s all t he inf o r m at io n and ser v ices at t he t ap o f a b u t t o n. O n- dem and inf o r m at io n and ser v ices m at ch t he client ’ s needs quickly, efficiently and conveniently through online platforms.

R ev enu e is lo st if capacit y is u nu sed in t he ser v ices sect o r . O n- dem and t echno lo g y plat f o r m s help t o t r ansf o r m t he w ay su pplier s r each po t ent ial cu st o m er s b y hav ing t heir su pply accu r at ely m apped t o t he r ig ht dem and. This, in t u r n, increases resource utilization and reduces the possibility of u nso ld inv ent o r y . F o r inst ance, r ideshar ing ser v ices enab le better utilization of cars leading to reduced number of cars on the road, and hotel rooms are better utilized leading to a decr eased r eq u ir em ent f o r new co nst r u ct io n.

• O n- dem and t echno lo g y plat f o r m s hav e allo w ed t he r est au r ant indu st r y t o cem ent t he g ap b et w een r est au r ant - g o er s and r est au r ant s b y f acilit at ing acceler at ed deliv er y . It s su ccess is anchored on its user-friendly interface, comprehensive and verified listings, updated information and analy t ics t o m o r e ef f ect iv ely m at ch su pply w it h dem and.

• R est au r ant s also t ie u p m u lt iple lo g ist ics ser v ice plat f o r m s f o r t he last - m ile lo g ist ics ser v ices.

• W it h t he incr easing nu m b er o f deliv er y o r der s f r o m ser v ice plat f o r m s, r est au r ant s ar e also ex plo r ing o pt io ns t o r edu ce dine- in spaces as a m easu r e t o b r ing do w n t he o per at io nal co st s.

• H o t el- b o o k ing seg m ent is ano t her indu st r y w her e t he plat f o r m m o del has pick ed u p m o m ent u m since 2 0 1 4 . The ho spit alit y plat f o r m s hav e cr eat ed a w in- w in pr o po sit io n as it allo w s t he sm aller b u dg et ho t els t o incr ease t heir v isib ilit y and im pr o v e o ccu pancy lev els.

• On-demand transportation platforms are connecting travellers to drivers in a more efficient manner leading to better utilization of vehicles.

• For instance, a leading on-demand transportation platform in India highlighted that drivers affiliated t o it s net w o r k hav e r epo r t ed hig her nu m b er o f r ides per ho u r and r edu ced idle t im e b et w een t r ip.

• On-demand education technology platforms serve a not-for-profit objective by more efficiently co nnect ing po t ent ial u ser s t o academ ic inst it u t es/ co m panies/ t eacher s t hat w ant t o shar e inf o r m at io n and k no w ledg e. M assiv ely o pen o nline co u r ses ( M O O C s) b ecam e a new and po pu lar co ncept and po t ent ially disr u pt iv e f o r ce in t he ar ea o f edu cat io n. S o o n af t er , v ar io u s w eb sit es began offering content that utilized academic and informative resources more efficiently.

• W it hin India, t his co ncept has seen a pu sh f r o m leading academ ic inst it u t io ns t hat ar e also w o r k ing o n dev elo ping plat f o r m s cat er ing t o t he lar g er po pu lat io ns o f st u dent s.

• O n- dem and t echno lo g y plat f o r m s hav e helped t he r eal est at e indu st r y t o lo w er ho u sing inv ent o r ies due to better utilization of under-construction and ‘ready to move in’ homes in both the rental and b u y er spaces.


Sumeet Yadav, CEO, Nandos India

Amit Jain, President, Uber India

“We feel the food order service aggregators bring four fold benefits. Due to the inher ent nat u r e o f t heir m o del, t hey help in r eaching o u t t o co nsu m er s f ast er , i. e. g o -t o - m ar k et is b et t er ; t hey help r edu ce capex r eq u ir em ent f o r ex pansio n- t hank s t o t heir v ir t u al plat f o r m ; lesser hassles o f m anag ing deliv er y o per at io ns and r elat ed challeng es and t heir t echno lo g y helps im pr o v e co nsu m er ex per ience and sat isf act io n lev els as cu st o m er s g et m o r e v isib ilit y and co nt r o l o v er t heir o r der s. ”

“ In India, U b er is helping cr eat e t ens o f t ho u sands o f new j o b s, em po w er ing dr iv er s w it h hig her earnings potential and flexible work ho u r s, and pr o v iding m illio ns o f co nsu m er s w it h a saf e, r eliab le and co nv enient m o de o f t r anspo r t . ”

The sharing economy’s contribution to improved utilization b eco m es ev ident w hen o ne lo o k s at t he dat a o f o ne o f t he w o r ld’ s leading peer - t o - peer acco m m o dat io n po r t al. W it hin a sho r t span o f t im e, t he po r t al has g r o w n ex po nent ially and t he nu m b er o f list ing s o n t he po r t al has su r passed t hat o f so m e o f t he leading ho t el chains in t he w o r ld.

The po r t al ser v es as a so u r ce o f addit io nal inco m e f o r ho st s list ed o n it s plat f o r m . M o r e im po r t ant ly , t he o ccu pancy r at es o f pr o per t ies list ed o n t he po r t al is m o r e t han 7 0 % , w hich is hig her t han t hat o f leading g lo b al ho t el chains. The co m pany has leveraged technology and prioritized search results for ho st s t o help im pr o v e o ccu pancy lev els o f pr o per t ies list ed o n it s po r t al. 4

L ow personal asset ow nership d riv ing the sharing economy

The po pu lat io n and asset acq u isit io n pat t er ns in India ar e v er y dif f er ent f r o m t hat in o t her co u nt r ies. The r easo ns f o r asset acq u isit io n also v ar y in t he t w o eco no m ies. W hile car s ar e o w ned f o r m o r e u t ilit ar ian pu r po ses in t he U S , in India, an

> 1 , 5 0 0 , 0 0 0W orl w id e l istings

> 2 0 , 0 0 0A v erage annu al rent earned b y a host

> 7 0 %O ccu pancy of rooms

> 4 0 , 0 0 0 , 0 0 0T otal gu ests

> 5 0 0 , 0 0 0 S tays per night

$ $

D iagram 3 : S napshot of a l ead ing gl ob al peer- to- peer accommod ation portal 3

o w ned car is per ceiv ed as a sy m b o l o f so cial st at u s. A s a r esu lt , per so nal car o w ner ship is v er y lo w co m par ed t o t he o t her m aj o r co u nt r ies su ch as t he U S , t he U K and B R IC co u nt r ies. C ar o w ner ship is co ncent r at ed in m aj o r cit ies and is ex pensiv e w hen o ne co nsider s f u el, m aint enance, t ax and par k ing ex penses.

3 “ W her e D o A ir b nb H o st s M ak e t he M o st M o ney ? , ” S m ar t asset w eb sit e, ht t ps: / /sm ar t asset . co m / m o r t g ag e/ w her e- do - air b nb - ho st s- m ak e- t he- m o st - m o ney , accessed 8 O ct o b er 2 0 1 5 ;

4 “ A ir b nb O ccu pancy R at es C at ching u p w it h H o t els, ” B ey o ndpr icing w eb sit e, ht t ps: / / b lo g . b ey o ndpr icing . co m / sf - o ccu pancy - m at ches- ho t els, accessed 8 O ct o b er 2 0 1 5 ;


‘000 inhabitants

2 0 1 0

2 0 1 5

8 0 7

9 3 0

2 1 6

3 8 8

4 4

1 8 7

5 1 1

6 0 2

1 2 6

2 2 1

1 2

7 2

D iagram 4 : C ar ow nership in sel ect cou ntries5

D iagram 5 : J ob potential of the sharing economy6

S o u r ce: S k o lk o v o Inst it u t e o f E m er g ing M ar k et S t u dies

C o nsider ing lo w car o w ner ship r at es in India and t he f act t hat em er g ing t r anspo r t at io n o n- dem and plat f o r m s in India o f f er air co ndit io ned, hig h- q u alit y r ides f o r f ar es u nder IN R 1 5 /km (US$0.23/km), utilizing the services of transportation plat f o r m s t u r ns o u t t o b e m o r e eco no m ical. The shar ing eco no m y enab les a b r o ad seg m ent o f t he po pu lat io n t o der iv e benefits of travelling comfortably, without having to own cars.

Ther ef o r e, shar ing eco no m y , g iv es peo ple in India t he opportunity to experience the benefits of these assets without o w ning t hem , u pg r ading liv ing st andar ds b y u se o f shar ed r eso u r ces and pr o v iding g o o ds and ser v ices t hat w o u ld b e o t her w ise u naf f o r dab le.

A co m m o n m y t h asso ciat ed w it h t he shar ing eco no m y is t hat it w ill r eplace o w ner ship o f asset s. C o nsider ing t he lo w o w ner ship o f per so nal asset s in India, co nsu m er s w ill co nt inu e t o b u y new pr o du ct s. A s penet r at io n o f m o der n co nsu m er pr o du ct s

incr eases w it h t he g r o w ing m iddle class, o w ner ship o f per so nal asset s is also lik ely t o g r o w in India. H o w ev er , t he shar ing economy will ensure improved utilization of those assets.

2.2 Job creationThe shar ing eco no m y has incr eased j o b o ppo r t u nit ies in India. G iv en t he asset - lig ht nat u r e o f t he shar ing eco no m y , plat f o r m s ar e ab le su pplier s t o t heir plat f o r m s m o r e q u ick ly t han t r adit io nal indu st r ies. The em er g ence o f t he shar ing eco no m y has m ade t he r o ad t o self - em plo y m ent easier and m o r e peo ple ar e t u r ning ent r epr eneu r s. This t r anslat es t o incr eased inco m e f o r st ak eho lder s in t he shar ing eco no m y .

1 , 5 0 0N u m b er o f dr iv er s o n-

b o ar ded daily b y an Indian t ax i ag g r eg at o r

1 mil l ionJ o b s t o b e g ener at ed b y t he g lo b al shar ing eco no m y b y

2 0 1 6

5 0 , 0 0 0N ew j o b s cr eat ed per m o nt h b y a leading t ax i ag g r eg at o r

g lo b ally

5 “ India’ s passeng er v ehicle and t w o - w heeler m ar k et st eer t o w ar ds a do u b le dig it g r o w t h: R epo r t , ” The E co no m ic Tim es w eb sit e, w w w . eco no m ict im es. indiat im es.com/articleshow/44989399.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst, accessed 7 O ct o b er 2 0 1 5 ;

6 “ H o w S har ing E co no m y J o b s S t ack U p A g ainst Tr adit io nal O nes, ” Inc. w eb sit e, w w w . inc. co m / lau r a- m o nt ini/ inf o g r aphic/ t he- u nco llar ed- w o r k er - and- t he- f u t u r e- o f -w o r k . ht m l, accessed 1 O ct o b er 2 0 1 5 ;

“ U b er Is Inv est ing $ 1 B To G r o w It s B u siness In India To 1 M R ides P er D ay , ” Techcr u nch w eb sit e, ht t p: / / t echcr u nch. co m / 2 0 1 5 / 0 7 / 3 1 / o ne- b illllllllllllio n/ # .lf b v ps: m W y k , accessed 1 O ct o b er 2 0 1 5 ;


D iagram 6 : R ol e of sharing economy in promoting entrepreneu rship

S o u r ce: C o m par e and shar e - 2 0 1 5 , C r o w d co m panies - 2 0 1 4

O n- dem and t echno lo g y plat f o r m s ar e cr eat ing a m assiv e o ppo r t u nit y t o em plo y deliv er y asso ciat es, dat a co llect o r s and sales ag ent s acr o ss dif f er ent g eo g r aphies w it hin India. These r elat iv ely less- sk illed ar eas o f w o r k ar e cr eat ing em plo y m ent o ppo r t u nit ies f o r m any Indians t o ear n t heir liv eliho o ds.

• U b er in India has ent er ed int o a par t ner ship w it h t he G o v er nm ent o f Telang ana w hich enab les j o b cr eat io n.

• The co m pany has also sig ned a m em o r andu m o f u nder st anding ( M o U ) w it h t he G o v er nm ent o f Tam il N adu w hich w ill lead t o t he cr eat io n o f 3 0 , 0 0 0 ent r epr eneu r ial o ppo r t u nit ies f o r dr iv er s, inf r ast r u ct u r e dev elo pm ent and dev elo pm ent o f pr o g r am s t o im pr o v e t echno lo g y .

• A no t her Indian plat f o r m has sig ned a M o U w it h an inv est ee co m pany o f N at io nal S k ill D ev elo pm ent C o u ncil ( N S D C ) and A u t o m o t iv e S k ills D ev elo pm ent C o u ncil f o r t r aining , sk ill dev elo pm ent and em po w er m ent o f 5 0 , 0 0 0 w o m en dr iv er s o n it s plat f o r m .

• The co m pany has also ent er ed int o a par t ner ship w it h The D ir ect o r at e G ener al R eset t lem ent ( D G R ) u nder t he M inist r y o f D ef ence t o ex t end an o ppo r t u nit y f o r ex - ser v icem en t o t u r n ent r epr eneu r s o n it s plat f o r m .

3 7 %shar ing eco no m y st ar t u ps ar e V C

f u nded

7 , 5 0 0shar ing plat f o r m s

g lo b ally

$ 2 8 mil l ioninv est ed in shar ing

eco no m y st ar t u ps daily

8 0 %shar ing eco no m y

st ar t u ps see cr o w df u nding as t he

b est w ay t o r aise capit al

Ritesh Agarwal, Founder & CEO, OYO Rooms

“ B y em po w er ing t he ho t el par t ner s and enhancing t heir b u siness, w e hav e cr eat ed j o b s indir ect ly . I b eliev e w e hav e m ade a g r eat po sit iv e im pact w hich has created employment in various fields f r o m ho spit alit y t o ho t el m anag em ent . ”


2.3 Social mobilityThe shar ing eco no m y has t r ansf o r m ed t he em plo y m ent m ar k et to the benefit of millions of workers. It is empowering a new class of micro-entrepreneurs who are financially rewarded for shar ing t heir ex per t ise, r eso u r ces and ser v ices. It has led t o a hik e in inco m e lev els o f t he indiv idu als, especially t ho se in t he lo w so cio - eco no m ic seg m ent .

O ne o f t he im po r t ant r easo ns t hat t hese plat f o r m s help in cr eat ing j o b s is b y enco u r ag ing sect io ns o f t he po pu lat io n w ho w o u ld o t her w ise no t hav e j o ined t he sect o r , t o b eco m e a par t o f it . H o w ev er , no w w it h t hese plat f o r m s init iat ing a par adig m shif t and o v er co m ing t he st r u ct u r al o b st acles in t he indu st r y t hat pr ev ent ed o r pr eclu ded ent r y int o t he sect o r , t he nu m b er o f peo ple o pt ing t o w o r k in t his sect o r has incr eased dr ast ically . The pr ev alent w ag es in t his sect o r hav e b een r epo r t ed t o b e co m par ab le t o t ho se paid t o w o r k ing in pr o f essio nal indu st r ies in o t her sect o r s su ch as g o v er nm ent em plo y ees and so f t w ar e pr o f essio nals.

In addit io n t o pr o v iding addit io nal inco m e t o peo ple, t he sharing economy provides workers with more flexibility and autonomy. Transportation platforms have offered flexibility to dr iv er s t o o per at e acco r ding t o t heir o w n co nv enience. In t he ho spit alit y seg m ent , shar ing net w o r k s hav e em er g ed, w hich allo w peo ple t o r ent - o u t t heir ho u ses o r u nu sed r o o m s t o g u est s and m ak e m o ney . F u r t her m o r e, t he shar ing eco no m y provides individuals the flexibility to work with multiple plat f o r m s and no t b e t ied t o o ne par t icu lar plat f o r m . This o pens u p addit io nal o ppo r t u nit ies f o r t he par t icipant s in t he shar ing eco no m y .

The addit io nal inco m e g ener at ed b y t he shar ing eco no m y incr eases t he spending / pu r chasing po w er o f t he indiv idu als. The shar ing eco no m y enab les indiv idu als t o t ak e ent r epr eneu r ial r isk s t hey w o u ld no t o t her w ise co nsider and m o v e u p t he so cial ladder . The ent r y o f plat f o r m s w ill b e a social benefit by introducing members of the lower social strata to the latest technology and also by familiarizing them w it h E ng lish, w hich w o u ld incr ease t heir o v er all em plo y m ent 7 and so cial pr o spect s.

The ag g r eg at io n co m m u nit y is f o r m ing cr o ss- par t ner ships w it h m any st ar t - u ps t o f u r t her add f u nct io nalit y and ancillar y ser v ices t o t heir plat f o r m s. F o r inst ance, a r est au r ant plat f o r m has t ied u p w it h a leading t r anspo r t at io n plat f o r m t o pr o v ide seam less cab ser v ices t o it s dining plat f o r m . V er t ical ex pansio n o f capab ilit ies w it hin lar g er plat f o r m s is pr o v iding b u dding entrepreneurs a very real opportunity to add value and fill po t ent ial g aps in ser v ices.

2.4 Skill developmentThe shar ing eco no m y , b y it s v er y nat u r e, allo w s peo ple to better utilize their skills and talents. Technological im pr o v em ent int r o du ced b y plat f o r m s has led t o t he im pr o v em ent in t echno lo g y sk ills o f t he u nsk illed w o r k f o r ce. O n- dem and t echno lo g y plat f o r m s hav e also led t o t he ado pt io n and u se o f E ng lish b y t he u nsk illed w o r k f o r ce f o r ce. These b u siness m o dels ar e inco r po r at ing init iat iv es t o t r ain t heir w o r k f o r ce so t hat t hey can co m f o r t ab ly u se t he t echno lo g y t o efficiently run their businesses.

In addition to boosting the technology skills of the unorganized w o r k f o r ce, t he leading t r anspo r t at io n plat f o r m s ar e inv est ing in im pr o v ing t he b ehav io r al sk ills o f dr iv er u ser s. F u r t her m o r e, o ne o f t he o n- dem and t echno lo g y t r anspo r t at io n plat f o r m s in India has par t ner ed w it h co aching inst it u t es t o help t he childr en o f it s dr iv er u ser s t o per f o r m b et t er in b o ar d ex am s. A s a r esu lt , t he plat f o r m s also co nt r ib u t es in t he sk ill dev elo pm ent o f t he ser v ice- pr o v ider s and t heir dependent s, w hich can lead t o a m u lt iplier ef f ect in sk ill dev elo pm ent . In t he ho t el space, t he plat f o r m s pr o v ide ser v ice t r aining f o r ensu r ing standardized quality to customers across its properties.

In India, o n- dem and t r anspo r t at io n plat f o r m s ar e pr o v iding dr iv er s m o r e lu cr at iv e alt er nat iv es t o f u ll- t im e salar ies. The lau nch o f au t o - r ick shaw plat f o r m s has also helped t o im pr o v e t he b u siness o f au t o – r ick shaw dr iv er s.

A t t he g lo b al lev el, a st u dy b y a leading ho m e-shar ing po r t al f o u nd t hat m o r e t han 1 0 , 0 0 0 o f it s ho st s ar e u sing t he r ent al inco m e t hey ear n t o su ppo r t t hem selv es w hile lau nching a new b u siness.

7 F o r t he pu r po ses o f t his r epo r t em plo y m ent m ay inclu de ent r epr eneu r s, and self em plo y m ent .


2.5 ConvenienceC o nv enience is a m at er ial incent iv e f o r cu st o m er s t o ado pt ser v ices pr o v ided in t he shar ing eco no m y . The shar ing eco no m y is co nv enient f o r b o t h t he co nsu m er and t he ser v ice pr o v ider . It pr o v ides co nsu m er s w it h co nv enient and co st -efficient access to resources and to access various services w it h a f ew t aps o n t heir sm ar t pho nes.

The sharing economy is also flexible from the perspective of a service provider. Service providers also have flexibility to o per at e acco r ding t o t heir co nv enience. F o r inst ance, in t he t r anspo r t at io n space, t he dr iv er can lo g in t o t he sy st em at any t im e o f t he day . In t he ho t el space, t he plat f o r m s allo w u ser s t o b o o k r o o m s o n t he g o w it ho u t w ait ing f o r a r eply f r o m a ho st , and t hey can check in and o u t inst ant aneo u sly inst ead o f w ait ing at a r eser v at io n desk . C o m m u nit y - b ased m ar k et places allo w peo ple t o r ent / shar e g o o ds su ch as cam er as, co m pu t er s, t ab let s and t r av elling g ear t hat o ne do es no t u se f r eq u ent ly .

G o ing f o r w ar d, t he ab ilit y t o access r eso u r ces and ser v ices at any t im e and f r o m any place w ill b e a m aj o r dr iv er t hat w ill at t r act m o r e peo ple t o t he shar ing eco no m y . In addit io n t o co nv enience, b u ilding t r u st is ano t her cr it ical aspect t hat t he st ak eho lder s in t he shar ing eco no m y need t o addr ess t o ensu r e it s w idespr ead ado pt io n.

2.6 Transparency of business and accountabilityTechno lo g y has f acilit at ed t r anspar ency and acco u nt ab ilit y b y dev elo ping o pen- ended, u ser f r iendly plat f o r m s t hat pr o m o t e shar ing am o ng u ser s. F o r inst ance, leading r est au r ant plat f o r m s hav e a b r o ad dat ab ase o f r est au r ant s t hat ar e assig ned m ass r at ing s b ased o n it s u ser s’ ex per iences. S im ilar ly , o n- dem and t echno lo g ies hav e cr eat ed a m o r e t r anspar ent r eal- est at e m ar k et in an o t her w ise o paq u e indu st r y b y pr o m o t ing pr ice t r anspar ency am o ng b u y er s and seller s and also b y st r eam lining t he b r o k er ag e pr o cess w hich is otherwise difficult to navigate.

Tr anspo r t at io n plat f o r m s hav e int r o du ced m o r e t r anspar ency in pr icing and co nsu m er s ar e g iv en an est im at e o f t he t r ip co st in adv ance. F u r t her m o r e, t hey hav e int r o du ced a r at ing m echanism o n t heir apps w her eb y dr iv er u ser s and u ser s can b o t h r at e each o t her . In addit io n, t hey hav e a pick - u p t im e

display t hat allo w s t r av eller s t o b e inf o r m ed o f any delay s t hat m ay ar ise.

P eer - t o - peer acco m m o dat io n sit es enco u r ag e a t w o - w ay r at ing m echanism , w her eb y r ent er s can r at e g u est s and g u est s can rate renters. The most obvious benefit of two-way rating m echanism s in t he shar ing eco no m y is cr eat ing an eco - sy st em o f acco u nt ab ilit y and t r anspar ency b et w een par t ies. 8

The shar ing eco no m y b u siness also im pr o v es t r anspar ency o f b u siness f o r t he t ax au t ho r it ies. S m all seller s o r ser v ice pr o v ider s w ho m ay no t b e t r anspar ent ly pay ing t heir sales t ax o r ser v ice t ax , need t o b e m o r e t r anspar ent , as t r ansact io ns ar e easily t r aceab le t hr o u g h t he plat f o r m and t hu s help in m o r e transparent tax filings by the small aggregated entities.

• G lo b ally , a leading peer - t o - peer acco m m o dat io n co m pany is w o r k ing w it h au t ho r it ies t o ensu r e t hat r eg u lat io ns ar e ho no u r ed and t hat it s ho st s ar e aw ar e o f leg al o b lig at io ns and lo cal r eg u lat io ns.

• The co m pany has f o r w ar ded t he det ails o f it s ho st s t o t ax au t ho r it ies and in so m e cases has co llect ed lo cal acco m m o dat io n t ax es o n b ehalf o f t he r espect iv e m u nicipal au t ho r it ies.

• This incr eases t he t r anspar ency and acco u nt ab ilit y and r edu ces t he po ssib ilit y o f u ndeclar ed r ent al inco m e.

8 “Trust and transparency in the new ‘sharing economy’,” Irish Times website, w w w . ir isht im es. co m / b u siness/ t r u st - and- t r anspar ency - in- t he- new - shar ing -eco no m y - 1 . 2 3 2 3 0 6 6 , accessed 2 O ct o b er 2 0 1 5 ;


2.7 Impact on environment and infrastructureA s t r anspo r t at io n plat f o r m s b eco m e m o r e po pu lar , peo ple ar e b eco m ing less dependent o n t heir o w n v ehicles t o g et ar o u nd, r edu cing t he t o t al nu m b er o f car s o n t he r o ad. This creates greater efficiency and has a favorable impact on the env ir o nm ent , as w ell as r edu cing w ear - and- t ear o n pu b lic inf r ast r u ct u r e, leading t o su b st ant ial sav ing s f o r pu b lic co f f er s.

G lo b ally , car - shar ing ser v ices hav e co nt r ib u t ed t o r edu ct io n in t r av el co st s and G H G em issio ns. The shar ing eco no m y emphasizes on re-use of assets rather than absolute o w ner ship. P eo ple can u se pr o du ct s/ ser v ices w hen t hey

need it , w it ho u t hav ing t o o w n it . F u r t her m o r e, as t her e ar e f ew er v ehicles o n t he r o ad, t his leads t o a r edu ct io n in r o ad m aint enance co st s f o r m u nicipal au t ho r it ies.

In India, t he passeng er car m ar k et has b een o n an u pw ar d clim b o v er t he last decade. H o w ev er , t he r o ad leng t h ( in av ailab le k m s) , par t icu lar ly in t he m et r o s and t ier - I cit ies is no t g r o w ing co r r espo nding ly . A s a r esu lt , t he phy sical inf r ast r u ct u r e is sev er ely co nst r ained, leading t o f r eq u ent and long traffic jams during peak hours.

D iagram 7 : Impact of car sharing 9

1 car sharing v ehicl e

0 . 5 8 – 0 . 8 4 metric tons

3 4 % - 4 1 %

2 7 % - 4 3 %

R edu ct io n in g r een- ho u se g as ( G H G ) em issio ns per y ear f o r o ne ho u seho ld

R edu ct io n in G H G em issio ns per y ear f o r o ne ho u seho ld

R edu ct io n in v ehicle m iles t r av elled ( V M T) per y ear , co nsider ing v ehicles so ld and pu r chases po st po ned

repl aces 9 - 1 3 v ehicl es

=

S o u r ce: M o b ilit y and t he shar ing eco no m y : im pact sy no psis; S pr ing 2 0 1 5 ; Tr anspo r t at io n S u st ainab ilit y R esear ch C ent er – U niv er sit y o f C alif o r nia, B er k eley st u dy

9 “ M o b ilit y and t he shar ing eco no m y , ” B er k eley U niv er sit y , 2 0 1 5 , p. 2


2.8 Digital literacyThe term “Digital Literacy” can be defined as “the awareness, at t it u de and ab ilit y o f indiv idu als and b u sinesses t o appr o pr iat ely u se dig it al t o o ls and t echno lo g y t o ident it y , access, interact, transact, manage, analyze and synthesize dig it al r eso u r ces t o cr eat e o r co nst r u ct new k no w ledg e” . The shar ing eco no m y pr o m o t es dig it al lit er acy b y helping t o b u ild a sk illed, t ech- sav v y w o r k f o r ce b y incr easing f am iliar it y w it h smartphones, financial bank statements, technology and the E ng lish lang u ag e.

C o m panies f acilit at ing t he shar ing eco no m y u se dig it al plat f o r m s t o deliv er t heir pr o du ct s and ser v ices in a seam less m anner . D u e t o t he r eq u ir em ent o f dig it al m edia su ch as m o b ile dev ices, t he ser v ice pr o v ider s ( dr iv er u ser s, deliv er y

asso ciat es, sales ag ent s and r est au r ant m anag er s) asso ciat ed w it h t he shar ing eco no m ies w ill need t o b e co m f o r t ab le w it h t he u se o f sm ar t pho nes and t he int er net . In addit io n, t her e is a pu sh f o r cu st o m er s t o st ar t b eco m ing t ech- sav v y b y u sing su ch apps and nav ig at ing t hr o u g h em b edded f eat u r es su ch as u sing m o b ile w allet s t o pay f o r ser v ices.

S o m e o f t he plat f o r m s pr o v ide a f r ee sm ar t pho ne t o it s dr iv er u ser s f o r u sing t heir plat f o r m , w hich t hey also u se f o r o t her per so nal act iv it ies inclu ding e- co m m er ce, m o b ile b ank ing , citizen services and bill payments, which also enable inclusion o f m o r e peo ple o n su ch dig it al plat f o r m s.

• O n- dem and t r anspo r t at io n plat f o r m s co nnect r ider s t o t r av eller s and dr iv er s in a m o r e efficient manner leading to better utilization of v ehicles.

• F o r inst ance, a per so n t r av eling f r o m D elhi t o J aipu r can u se a lo ng dist ance r ideshar ing ser v ice t o lo o k f o r peo ple t r av elling o n t he sam e r o u t e. The r ideshar ing ser v ice co nnect s car o w ner s and co - t r av eller s and as a r esu lt , t he f u el ex penses can b e shar ed b et w een m u lt iple peo ple.

• In addit io n, t he f u el co nsu m pt io n can b e r edu ced w hen m u lt iple peo ple shar e o ne car , inst ead o f o pt ing t o t r av el separ at ely .

• A s a r esu lt , t his leads t o r edu ced nu m b er o f cars on the road, eases traffic congestion and r edu ces f u el em issio ns.

S u pplier s ( dr iv er s, deliv er y asso ciat es, et c. ) w it h f eat u r e pho nes

S u pplier s w it h sm ar t pho nes

U se o f m aps t o nav ig at e

S o cial m edia

E - b ank ing M o b ile w allet s

E - co m m er ce

D iagram 8 : S haring economy and its rol e in d igital l iteracy


The shar ing eco no m y is also t r ansf o r m ing t he m anner in w hich edu cat io n is co nsu m ed and deliv er ed. Inst it u t io ns ar o u nd t he w o r ld dev elo p inf o r m at iv e m at er ial t hat , in t he b r ick and m o r t ar eco no m y , w as f o cu sed o n j u st a su b set o f t he population leading to its limited utilization. However, as online plat f o r m s f o r shar ing b ecam e po pu lar , su ch m at er ial b ecam e accessib le t o a m u ch b r o ader po pu lat io n t hr o u g h t he int er net . Thus, knowledge sharing and information utilization picks up in a b ig w ay .

C o m panies pr o v ide t echno lo g y plat f o r m s t hat allo w any o ne t o set u p and r u n t heir o w n class. The shar ing eco no m y enab les st u dent s t o w at ch v ideo t aped lect u r es and t ak e quizzes online at their convenience. Education platforms or k no w ledg e m ar k et places can pr o v ide a po w er f u l alt er nat iv e t o t he t r adit io nal lear ning ex per ience and m ak es edu cat io nal r eso u r ces m o r e af f o r dab le and r eadily av ailab le.

The shar ing eco no m y has a b ig r o le t o play in dig it al lit er acy . F o r dig it al lit er acy t o play a k ey r o le in cr eat ing a su st ainab le ent r epr eneu r ial shar ed ser v ice eco no m y , an at t em pt t o ado pt the following initiatives will be a first step in powering the dig it al eco no m y .

A ct io n m u st b e t ak en t o ensu r e t hat peo ple ar e appr o pr iat ely skilled and have the capability, flexibility and adaptability to par t icipat e in t he w o r k f o r ce o f t o day and t he w o r k f o r ce o f t he f u t u r e. S pecial co nsider at io n m u st b e g iv en t o act io ns t hat m o t iv at e u nem plo y ed y o u t h and g r o u ps w it h lo w par t icipat io n so t hat t he lar g er po pu lace o r w o r k f o r ce can b e g ainf u lly eng ag ed.

India can cr eat e co ndit io ns f o r su ccessf u l and su st ained j o b g r o w t h t hr o u g h ent r epr eneu r s and est ab lished b u sinesses b y enab ling a f air and co m pet it iv e landscape su ppo r t iv e o f pr iv at e sect o r g r o w t h; pr o v iding adeq u at e o r b et t er inf r ast r u ct u r e t o su ppo r t new ent er pr ises and enco u r ag ing b r o ad- b ased t o ler ance f o r f ailu r e.

R apidly chang ing t echno lo g y w ill co nt inu e t o im pact t he nat u r e and t y pe o f sk ills r eq u ir ed in t he f u t u r e eco no m y . S cience, Techno lo g y , E ng ineer ing and M at hem at ics ( S TE M ) o ccu pat io ns w ill need f o cu s in t he new eco no m y . B asic sk ill needs w ill b r o aden and ev o lv e f r o m lit er acy and nu m er acy , t o dig it al lit er acy , cr eat iv it y , pr o b lem so lv ing , cr it ical t hink ing and r esilience. The env ir o nm ent is co nt inu o u sly chang ing and pr io r experience and qualifications are no longer relevant or lasting. L if elo ng lear ning , v o cat io nal sk ills and car eer r einv ent io n b eco m es t he no r m . N o t all j o b s in t he new eco no m y w ill r eq u ir e u niv er sit y edu cat io n — appr ent iceships and o n t he j o b sk ills w ill b eco m e m o r e cr it ical and dr iv e t he “ m iddle sk ills” . This w ill require sufficient technical and trade skills.

The incr easing r each o f dig it al and m o b ile t echno lo g ies w ill co nt inu e t o enab le o ppo r t u nit ies f o r y o u ng ent r epr eneu r s t o b e cr eat ed and g r o w n o u t side t r adit io nal m ar k et s, and t his in t u r n w ill challeng e m at u r e b u sinesses t o r espo nd w it h sim ilar ent r epr eneu r ial and inno v at iv e ef f o r t s. To b e su ccessf u l, y o u ng ent r epr eneu r s r eq u ir e addit io nal, t ailo r ed su ppo r t in areas such as access to finances, simpler regulatory norms, t r aining and m ent o r ing and f o r u m s f o r co nnect ing w it h o t her b u sinesses.

In conclusion, digital literacy will only flourish and be su ccessf u l if t echno lo g y can cr eat e an incr eased im pact o n so cio - eco no m ic pr o cesses t o nar r o w t he dig it al div ide and t he r u r al- u r b an chasm in sk ills, dev elo pm ent , eco no m ic dispar it y , w o r k f o r ce m ig r at io n and ar b it r ag e.

• ► Change in employment practices that enhance access, par t icipat io n, m o b ilit y , co m pet it iv eness and pr o du ct iv it y w hile m aint aining so cial pr o t ect io n and w o r k er cer t aint y

• ► Closing the gender gap between male and female em plo y m ent r at es

• ► Increasing fixed-term contracts and temporary em plo y m ent

• ► Develop right skills for the digital economy to r espo nd t o chang e

• ► Create a skills strategy at a country level

• ► Support shared service firms in training and dev elo pm ent pr o g r am s t hr o u g h P P P m o dels

• ► Engage with international organizations to define sk ills and pr o g r am s f o r su ccess in t he dig it al ag e

• ► Ensure coverage of new skills in primary, secondary and t er t iar y edu cat io n r elev ant t o t he k no w ledg e eco no m y

• ► Defining Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for m easu r ing t alent and sk ill ef f ect iv eness


C halleng es and r eg u lat o r y hu r dles f o r t he shar ing eco no m y


C onsu mer- sid e

C o nsu m er t r u st and saf et y

R eg u lat o r y co nsider at io ns

S ecu r it y and r isk m it ig at io n

Tax co m pliance

C o nsist ency in ser v ice q u alit y

M anag em ent o f u nco nv ent io nal w o r k f o r ce

B u siness- sid e

W hile the benefits provided by the sharing economy ar e innu m er ab le, it s r apid g r o w t h also po ses co m plex

challeng es. W inning co nsu m er t r u st is an int eg r al elem ent o f t he shar ing eco no m y , and is cr it ical f o r peer - t o - peer b u sinesses. A s t he shar ing eco no m y m ak es r apid inr o ads int o o u r day - t o - day liv es, pr o t ect ing co nsu m er int er est s w ill b e o f par am o u nt im po r t ance. P eo ple ( co nsu m er s and ser v ice pr o v ider s) need t o t r u st b o t h t he plat f o r m t hey ar e u sing and t he peo ple w it h w ho m t hey ar e co nnect ing .

The challeng es f aced b y ser v ice pr o v ider s in a shar ing eco no m y ar e:

3.1 Consumer-sideC onsu mer tru st and safety: Tr u st is a pr er eq u isit e f o r any f o r m o f shar ing , w het her it is t o u se ano t her ’ s acco m m o dat io n or get into their car. It can be difficult to build trust with cu st o m er s v ia an o nline plat f o r m as t he t ech- sav v y co nsu m er s o f t o day f o cu s m o r e o n af f o r dab ilit y and co nv enience t han o n b u ilding lo y alt y w it h pr o v ider s o r so cial r elat io nships w it h o t her co nsu m er s. M o r eo v er , lack o f acco u nt ab ilit y in co nsu m er g r iev ances and it s r edr essal is a m aj o r b ar r ier in w inning co nsu m er t r u st .

The inno v at iv e b u siness m o dels enab led b y t he shar ing eco no m y ar e b lu r r ing t he lines b et w een per so nal act iv it ies and pr o f essio nal ser v ices. This has co m plicat ed im plicat io ns o n t ax at io n and r eg u lat o r y co m pliance. A s t hese b u siness m o dels ev eo lv e, t her e w ill b e a need t o est ab lish r eg u lat o r y f r am ew o r k s t hat addr ess t he o per at ing m o dalit ies o f t he eco -sy st em .

F o r t he shar ing eco no m y t o co nt inu e o n it s g r o w t h t r aj ect o r y , businesses will have to find ways to foster trust. Authenticating t he ident it y o f t he ser v ice pr o v ider is a g o o d m easu r e t o b u ild a b asic lev el o f t r u st b et w een st r ang er s b u t t his is m o r e challeng ing in a peer - t o - peer b u siness m o del as co m par ed t o t he b u siness- t o - co nsu m er m o del. F o r ex am ple, no t ev er y o ne eng ag ed in t he shar ing eco no m y ser v ices has a passpo r t t o upload, and they may not have a profile on leading social media sit es. In addit io n, lack o f t r anspar ent r eg u lat io ns m ay lead t o inst ances o f asy m m et r ic inf o r m at io n du r ing t r ansact io ns, i. e. , seller s m ig ht w it hho ld inf o r m at io n ab o u t pr o du ct s o r ser v ices t hat w ill pr ev ent u ser s t o dist ing u ish b et w een g o o d and b ad pu r chases. Ther ef o r e, t r anspar ency t hr o u g h r at ing s and


po sit iv e o nline r ev iew s play s a cr u cial r o le in g aining co nsu m er t r u st and g ener at ing leads.

S ecu rity and risk mitigation: The shar ing eco no m y m o del is f aced w it h m u lt iple challeng es t hat r eq u ir e st r o ng r isk m it ig at io n st r at eg ies in place.

The pr o cess f o r so lv ing cu st o m er g r iev ances sho u ld b e w ell defined and responsibilities well established for the consumer, o n t he r elev ent play er s in t he eco - sy st em r espo nsib le f o r t he q u alit y o f pr o du ct s and ser v ices.

C onsistency in serv ice q u al ity: The pr essu r e t o m aint ain co nsist ent ser v ice q u alit y is hig h in a shar ing eco no m y m ar k et place as t he lev el o f cu st o m er ser v ice m ay v ar y f r o m place t o place and su pplier t o su pplier . W it h t he r apid im pr o v em ent in t echno lo g y , it m ay b e easy t o b u ild a m ar k et place app, b u t it is no t easy t o pr o v ide co nsist ent hig h- q u alit y ser v ices and scale it acr o ss m u lt iple lo cat io ns. The ser v ice pr o v ider s hav e t o k eep u p t o t he co nsu m er ex pect at io ns o f a su per io r ex per ience at all t o u ch- po int s ev er y sing le t im e. F o r ex am ple, a u niq u e ex per ience ho lds eq u al im po r t ance as ser v ice q u alit y in t er m s o f appeal o f t he shar ing eco no m y in ho spit alit y .

3.2 Business-sideR egu l atory consid erations: The t r adit io nal indu st r ies o per at e under the influence of regulations placed by the GoI. However, w it h t he em er g ence o f t he shar ing eco no m y b u siness m o dels, t her e m ay b e a need t o r e- ex am ine t he r eg u lat io ns ar o u nd them and sepcifically address the requirements of each su b - seg m ent o f t he shar ed eco - sy st em . F o r ex am ple, w hile r eg u lat io ns ar e in place f o r t r adit io nal t ax i o per at o r s, m o st Indian states do not have specific regulations covering on-dem and t r anspo r t at io n plat f o r m s. 1 0 W hile t he G o I has enact ed g u idelines t hat lim it t he liab ilit y o f int er m ediar ies1 1 , m any plat f o r m s f eel t hat g o v er nm ent s and r eg u lat o r s m u st clar if y t he applicab ilit y o f t hese r u les t o v ar io u s sect o r s w it hin t he sharing economy. In a welcome first step, the recent advisory issu ed b y t he M inist r y o f R o ad and Tr anspo r t , G o v er nm ent o f India has issued advisory guidelines to states that specifically lo o k at r eg u lat ing o n- dem and t r anspo r t at io n plat f o r m s. 1 2

1 0 S t at e’ s M o t o r V ehicles r eg u lat io ns

1 1 Int er m ediar y L iab ilit y R u les, 2 0 1 1 ,

1 2 C lau se 1 . 2 , A dv iso r y f o r licensing , co m pliance and liab ilit y o f o n dem and inf o r m at io n t echno lo g y b ased t r anspo r t at io n ag g r eg at o r ( Tax is 4 + 1 ) o per at ing w it hin t he j u r isdict io n o f India, M inist r y o f R o ad Tr anspo r t and H ig hw ay s, G o v er nm ent o f India dat ed 8 t h O ct o b er , 2 0 1 5 .

• ► According to Aprameya Radha Krishna, former co - f o u nder , Tax iF o r S u r e, “ E v er y st at e has it s o w n r eg u lat io n w hen it co m es r adio t ax is schem es and so m e st at es enf o r ce t r anspo r t at io n plat f o r m s t o co m ply w it h t he r adio t ax i schem es. S o m e o f t he r adio t ax i r eg u lat io ns do no t m at ch w it h t he need o f cu r r ent t im es su ch as hav ing pr int er s inside t he cab , car r y ing y ello w t ax i b o ar d sig n o n t he t o p o f v ehicle. ”

• ► For instance, all drivers of radio taxis, black and y ello w t ax is and au t o s in M u m b ai hav e b een issued a Public Services Vehicle Authorization b adg e. M aj o r it y o f t he dr iv er s u ser s, w o r k ing w it h t r anspo r t at io n plat f o r m s do no t hav e t he b adg es, which leads to non-compliance of state-specific law s.

• ► Another state transport department has amended it s po licies t o pav e t he w ay f o r t r anspo r t at io n plat f o r m s t o o per at e. A cco r ding t o new r u les, apar t f r o m t he G P S - and G P R S - b ased t r ack ing dev ices, a pr int er and a display panel sho w ing t he pat h t r av er sed and t he t o t al dist ance co v er ed has t o b e inst alled in t ax is. The co lo r o f t he r adio t ax i sho u ld b e w hit e, w it h a co lo r ed st r ip o n b o t h sides o f t he t ax i, pr o m inent ly display ing t he nam e o f t he licensee. Transportation platforms find it difficult t o co m ply w it h t his r eq u ir em ent as car s o n su ch a net w o r k hav e m u lt iple o per at o r s and, t her ef o r e, canno t car r y t he lab el o f o ne ser v ice pr o v ider alo ne.


A s t he eco - sy st em g r o w s, t he r eg u lat o r y po licies sho u ld b e ag ile t o k eep pace w it h t he r apidly chang ing t echno lo g ies. In cr o w df u nding , f o r inst ance, a v ent u r e is f u nded b y r aising sm all am o u nt s o f m o ney f r o m a lar g e nu m b er o f peo ple, t y pically t hr o u g h an int er net - b ased plat f o r m . The Indian co r po r at e law r eg u lat io ns r eq u ir e a co m pany t o g o t hr o u g h t he pu b lic o f f er pr o cess f o r r aising f u nds f r o m m o r e t han 2 0 0 inv est o r s, ev en w her e t he am o u nt s inv o lv ed ar e sm all. 1 3 A no t her ex am ple is t he lack o f clar it y o n f ar es ar o u nd dy nam ic pr icing ado pt ed b y t r anspo r t at io n plat f o r m s, w hich b r ing s t heir o per at io ns u nder r eg u lat o r y scr u t iny .

M anaging the u nconv entional w ork force: The last t w o decades hav e r eco r ded a st r u ct u r al shif t in t he w ay w e w o r k . The t r adit io nal em plo y er - em plo y ee r elat io nship has ev o lv ed. The shar ing eco no m y is dr iv ing t his f u ndam ent al shif t as it r elies heav ily o n sho r t - t er m , elast ic em plo y m ent , r at her t han t r adit io nal st ab le em plo y m ent . Indiv idu als r ender ing ser v ices t hr o u g h t he shar ing eco no m y plat f o r m s par t icipat e as independent co nt r act o r s, self - em plo y ed o r f r eelancer s. Adequate background verification, training and skilling of this w o r k f o r ce is im per at iv e f o r t he su ccessf u l deliv er y o f ser v ices du e t o t he co nsu m er - f acing nat u r e o f t he b u sinesses. F o r inst ance, an o nline edu cat io n plat f o r m pr o v ider has a m u lt i-t ier r ev iew and o n- b o ar ding pr o cess t hat inclu des r ef er ences, optional background checks and verification of social media acco u nt s, o nline t r aining and ex am s and a m anu al r ev iew t hat det er m ines w het her ev er y candidat e has t he ex per ience t o m aint ain an appr o pr iat e lev el o f cu st o m er ser v ice.

D istinction b etw een empl oyee and ind epend ent contractor: The pr im ar y dist inct io n b et w een t he shar ing eco no m y and t r adit io nal indu st r ies is t hat t he shar ing eco no m y do es no t o w n o r dir ect ly em plo y peo ple t o pr o v ide g o o ds and ser v ices. A lt er nat iv ely , t he shar ing eco no m y pr o m o t es m icr o - ent r epr eneu r s t o lev er ag e t heir plat f o r m s f o r g ain. Independent co nt r act o r s also hav e t he ab ilit y t o o per at e in t heir o w n t im e and ar e no t b o u nd b y t im ing r est r ict io ns.

A cceptance of d ynamic pricing: A s t he shar ing eco no m y is dependent o n m aint aining a st eady su pply st r eam t o m eet it s dem and, dy nam ic pr icing is an ef f ect iv e w ay f o r m ar k et par t icipant s t o ensu r e a su pply o f ser v ice.

Insu rance: O n- dem and t r anspo r t at io n plat f o r m s hav e specifically expressed challenges to India’s insurance r eg u lat io ns w hen co m par ed t o m o st o t her j u r isdict io ns in t he w o r ld.

1 . Insu r ance r at es and co nt r act s ar e b o t h pr e- det er m ined under regulations and there is no flexibility or scope for neg o t iat io ns.

2 . A ny new insu r ance pr o du ct w ill also hav e t o b e appr o v ed b y t he r eg u lat o r .

3 . P eer - t o - peer ( P 2 P ) r ideshar ing b eco m es co m plicat ed t o im plem ent in t he f ace o f t his r eg u lat o r y u ncer t aint y . This is b ecau se t he M o t o r V ehicles A ct do es no t per m it pr iv at e v ehicles f r o m ply ing o n “ hir e o r r ew ar d” . If any v ehicle w er e t o do so , t he insu r ance po licy asso ciat ed w it h su ch v ehicle is deem ed v o id ab init io .

4 . F u r t her m o r e, as t he t er m “ hir e o r r ew ar d” is no t specifically defined, any vehicle that only charges the b asic co st f r o m a passeng er f o r a r ide, also f aces t he r isk o f it s insu r ance po licy no t b eing ho no r ed b y an insu r ance co m pany .

5 . This sit u at io n is co m po u nded b y t he f act t hat ply ing any v ehicle w it ho u t appr o pr iat e insu r ance is a pu nishab le o f f ence u nder t he M o t o r V ehicles A ct .

N ew technol ogy: C o m panies in t he shar ing eco no m y st r o ng ly b eliev e t hat t he G o I m u st r eplace so m e o f t he ex ist ing law s law s and r eg u lat io ns im pact ing t he shar ing eco - sy st em and allo w f o r lat est t echno lo g ies t o pr o sper in t he sect o r . F o r ex am ple, t he law st at ing t hat each t ax i m u st hav e a phy sical pr int er t o issu e inv o ices t o cu st o m er s at t he end o f t he t r ip m ay b e r eplaced w it h sm ar t pho nes and em ail inv o ices t o cu st o m er s.

T ax compl iance: The st r u ct u r e o f shar ing eco no m y b u siness m o dels has ser io u s im plicat io ns f o r t he co m pliance enf o r cem ent o f co nsu m pt io n t ax es. The shar ing eco no m y eco sy st em inv o lv es pr o v ider s o f g o o ds and ser v ices t hat o per at e o n t hin m ar g ins u se per so nal pr o per t y f o r b u siness pu r po ses, and w ho ar e u nf am iliar w it h t he challeng es associated with filing and reporting independent contractor

1 3 “ S ect io n 4 2 o f t he C o m panies A ct , 2 0 1 3 , ” M inist r y o f C o r po r at e A f f air s w eb sit e, ht t p: / / w w w . m ca. g o v . in/ M inist r y / pdf / C o m paniesA ct 2 0 1 3 . pdf , accessed 6 O ct o b er 2 0 1 5 ;

“ C o m panies( P r o spect u s and A llo t m ent o f S ecu r it ies) , R u les 2 0 1 4 , ” IC S I w eb sit e, ht t p: / / w w w . icsi. edu / po r t als/ 0 / P R O S P E C TU S % 2 0 & % 2 0 A L L O TM E N T. pdf , accessed 6 O ct o b er 2 0 1 5 ;


inco m es.

Ty pically , o n- dem and t r anspo r t at io n plat f o r m s o nly b r ing t he co nsu m er and t he ser v ice pr o v ider t o g et her , t he act u al ser v ice deliv er y is f r o m t he ser v ice pr o v ider t o t he co nsu m er . In t his co nt ex t , t he t ax au t ho r it ies had r aised q u est io ns r eg ar ding t he per so n liab le t o dischar g e t he ser v ice t ax o n t he ser v ices deliv er ed. The F inance A ct 2 0 1 5 has no w int r o du ced pr o v isio ns u nder w hich t he plat f o r m is r eq u ir ed t o dischar g e t he ser v ice t ax liab ilit y o n t he ser v ices pr o v ided b y t he ser v ice pr o v ider s. 1 4 W hile t his has pr o v ided so m e clar it y o n t ax at io n f o r o n- dem and t r anspo r t at io n plat f o r m s, so m e issu es st ill r em ain u naddr essed inclu ding cr edit lo ss t o t he v endo r s.

1 4 “Notification No 5/2015 dated 1 March 2015- Service Tax,” Central Board of Excise and Customs website, ht t p: / / w w w . cb ec. g o v . in/ r eso u r ces/ / ht do cs-servicetax/st-notifications/st-notifications-2015/st05-2015.pdf;jsessionid=2381E08677BE8529FB4BAE1D7A7A9FD7; accessed 6 O ct o b er 2 0 1 5 ;

Arjun Baljee, Founder and CEO, Stayology

Vishal Dixit, Managing Director, Mayfield Advisors

“ S er v ice t ax im plicat io ns o n ag g r eg at io n is a challeng e, w it h incidence o f t ax at t he po int o f co llect io n. H o lding m o nies in escr o w can b e deem ed inco m e, and pr o v ing t hat is o nly pass t hr o u g h is cu m b er so m e. S o w hile lar g e co m panies have figured it out, the smaller startups su f f er w it h a lack o f clar it y , and u nnecessar y delay dealing w it h t he law s law s o f t he land. ”

“Insurers are still trying to figure out a w ay t o st r u ct u r e and pr ice t heir pr o du ct s f o r t he shar ed eco no m y . This m ak es t ech and analy t ics a k ey co m pet it iv e adv ant ag e f o r ag g r eg at o r s b y helping t hem select t heir v endo r s and customers and incentivize good b ehav io r . ”


A s a w elco m e m o v e, t he cent r al g o v er nm ent has issu ed adv iso r y g u idelines f o r o n-dem and t r anspo r t t echno lo g y ag g r eg at o r s and it is t he indu st r y ’ s o pinio n t hat t hese g u idelines sho u ld b e lar g ely f o llo w ed b y t he st at e g o v er nm ent s.

3.3 Addressing the regulatory hurdles associated with the sharing economyTo realize the full potential of the sharing economy, there is a need that workforce markets, finance markets and the laws of contract are flexible and adaptable. The sharing eco no m y co m panies b eliev e t hat t he “ r eg u lat io n g ap” b et w een incu m b ent and new ent r ant s can b e b r idg ed b y est ab lishing st r at eg ic o per at ing f r am ew o r k s and ex t r act ing m ax im u m v alu e o u t o f shar ed r eso u r ces t hr o u g h self - g o v er nance m echanism s. S o m e su g g est io ns em er g ing f r o m t he shar ing eco no m y indu st r y ar e:

A ccepting tech pl atforms to d o red u nd ant task s• ► Acceptance and increased reliance on advanced

t echno lo g ies t o per f o r m r edu ndant t ask s inclu ding inv o icing

• ► For example, a smartphone available to taxi drivers o r deliv er y ag ent s m ay also per f o r m t he f u nct io n o f g ener at ing and em ailing an inv o ice t o t he cu st o m er

New approach to legislation

• ► Use emergence of new business models as an opportunity t o dev elo p a new , “ em pt y t he b o x ” appr o ach t o r eg u lat io n, building on the committee’s research, findings, analysis, and r eco m m endat io ns

• ► This approach to regulatory reform keeps intact only those pr o v isio ns t hat ar e necessar y and r elev ant t o day

E stab l ishing strategic operating framew ork• ► Establishing a strategic operating framework that

co nt em plat es k ey co nsider at io ns and enab les t he G o I t o take specific policy decisions, evaluate those decisions and m ak e m id- co u r se adj u st m ent s

• ► This framework could be based on a cross-jurisdictional co m m it t ee w it h r epr esent at io n f r o m G o I, t ho u g ht leader s, and indu st r y ( inclu ding ex ist ing o per at o r s and new m ar k et ent r ant s) w it h a m andat e t o analy se t he o ppo r t u nit ies and im pact s o f t he shar ing eco no m y o n t he eco no m y o f t he st at e and m ak e co m pr ehensiv e r eco m m endat io ns t o help t he st at e g o v er nm ent pass adeq u at e r eg u lat io ns

• ► Creating increased clarity for workers and users of the shar ing eco no m y b y pr o v iding a ho w - t o g u ide o n t ax co m pliance

Relaxing industry-specific regulations• ► Relaxing regulatory controls to drive the growth of

t he shar ing eco no m y b u sinesses. F o r inst ance, su ch regulatory flexibility could include low corporate tax rates; better access to credit through financial market reform; w o r k f o r ce m ar k et r ef o r m s t o at t r act t alent ed st af f and flexible contracting laws

S trengthening sel f- gov ernance mechanisms• ► Implementing bottom-up governance mechanisms by

utilizing information available that only the consumers can pr o v ide. F o r inst ance, t he u b iq u it o u s u se o f r at ing and r epu t at io n sy st em s is no t f o r ced inclu sio ns b y t o p- do w n r eg u lat o r s. These m echanism s ar e t he r esu lt o f m ar k et co m pet it io n aiding t he dev elo pm ent and su pply o f r eliab le pr o du ct s and ser v ices


S har ing eco no m y and it s r o le in k ey init iat iv es o f t he G o v er nm ent o f India ( G o I)


The benefits of the sharing economy companies are not just lim it ed t o t he co nsu m er , em plo y ees o r t he so ciet y b u t t he

sect o r also indir ect ly helps in so m e o f t he G o I init iat iv es.

Digital India programThe shar ed eco no m y co m panies dir ect ly help in ex panding t he r each o f t he int er net and sm ar t pho nes in t he so ciet y . S ince sm ar t pho ne u sag e is o ne o f t he m aj o r dr iv er s o f t he o n- dem and eco no m y , ser v ice pr o v ider s and co nsu m er s need t o b e co nnect ed t o t he Int er net t o par t icipat e. The shar ing eco no m y co m panies in t he do m ain o f F & B , t r anspo r t at io n and ho spit alit y su g g est ed t hat t hey hav e pu t sm ar t pho nes in t he hands o f su ch peo ple w ho o t her w ise eit her co u ld no t af f o r d o r w er e no t inclined t o ado pt o ne. The incent iv e o f b et t er inco m e act s as a dr iv er t o pr o pag at e t he dig it al lit er acy dr iv e. These co m panies also t r ain t hem in t he u sag e o f int er net and it s asso ciat ed benefits. Positive impact on

the environmentThe v er y co ncept o f t he shar ing eco no m y is b ased o n efficient utilization of existing assets. Creation of new asset s eg . ho t els do es hav e an adv er se ef f ect o n t he env ir o nm ent . L esser car s o n t he r o ad w o u ld hav e a po sit iv e ef f ect o n po llu t io n lev els and also cau ses lesser w ear and t ear o f r o ad inf r ast r u ct u r e.

Skill India programThe shar ed eco no m y co m panies ar e no t o nly pr o v iding dig it al lit er acy t o it s em plo y ees o r st ak eho lder s in t he indu st r y , b u t ar e also t r aining t hem o n lang u ag e sk ills, soft skills as well as basic mechanic skills for efficiency. A ll o f t hese co nt r ib u t e t o w ar ds u psk illing peo ple, w hich is t he b asic aim o f t he g o v er nm ent ’ s sk ill India pr o g r am .

The shar ing eco no m y co m panies ar e pu t t ing a significant focus on training the staff in hotels, delivery per so nnel, dr iv er s et c b ecau se cu st o m er sat isf act io n has b eco m e a k ey su ccess f act o r in t he su ccess o f any o f t hese co m panies. O ne o f t he leading t r anspo r t at io n plat f o r m s in India has plans t o t r ain 5 0 , 0 0 0 w o m en drivers to make them fit for the job and be micro-ent r epr eneu r s t hem selv es.

Smarter cities The shar ing eco no m y co m panies, par t icu lar ly in t he transportation sector, generate significant data on the behavior of traffic in the city at various times of the day. This data can be utilized to route vehicular movements, identification of bottlenecks etc to reduce congestion and ensure better traffic flow.

Sachit Singhi, Co-founder, Stayzilla

“ S u st ainab le env ir o nm ent is o ne o f t he m aj o r co nt r ib u t io ns t hat a shar ed eco no m y is lending . B y enco u r ag ing peer t o peer r ent ing , r eso u r ces su ch as f o o d, w at er and electricity are utilized economically and t hu s t he co ncept o f a shar ing eco no m y as ag ainst indiv idu al ownership is being popularized. A ddit io nally , du e t o t he o r g anic av ailab ilit y o f m o r e liv ab le spaces, land and f o r est deplet io n cau sed b y t he b u ilding o f new ho t els and shelt er s w ill co nsider ab ly r edu ce. ”


The o ppo r t u nit y ahead f o r t he shar ing eco no m y in India


Int er net penet r at io n in India co m par ed w it h t he o t her B R IC and dev elo ped co u nt r ies is st ill nascent . H o w ev er , in t er m s

o f act u al nu m b er s, t he av ailab le po o l o f int er net u ser s t hat can b e t ar g et ed is o nly t hir d in t he w o r ld, nex t t o C hina and t he U S . F u r t her , India is po ised t o su r pass t he U S t o b eco m e t he co u nt r y w it h t he seco nd- lar g est int er net u ser b ase in 2 0 1 5 . With internet penetration at just 19.2%, there is significant o ppo r t u nit y f o r t he co m panies in t he shar ing eco no m y t o g r o w .

M o b ile pr o lif er at io n has b een a k ey dr iv er f o r t he shar ing eco no m y co m panies in all co u nt r ies inclu ding India. The nu m b er o f m o b ile su b scr ib er s is ex pect ed t o g r o w at a m u ch f ast er r at e du e t o decr easing co st s o f sm ar t pho nes and af f o r dab le co nnect iv it y co st s. 4 G r o ll- o u t and incr ease in 3 G penet r at io n w ill b o o st speeds. S ince m o st o f t he shar ing eco no m y co m panies lev er ag e m o b iles as a m ediu m t o r each cu st o m er s, t hese co m panies ar e all set f o r a r apid g r o w t h.

The shar ing eco no m y t r end in India is g aining t r act io n as more consumers, particularly urban millennials, are finding it co nv enient and co st ef f ect iv e. S har ing per so nal pr o du ct s su ch as o ne’ s ho m e o r car t hat ar e cu r r ent ly no t in u se b y t he o w ner is st ill t o b e seen. H o w ev er , t he o ppo r t u nit ies it pr esent s ar e su b st ant ial, g iv en t he dem o g r aphics, m ar k et dem and and shif t in co nsu m er pr ef er ences.

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Till no w , t he shar ing eco no m y has b een m o r e im pact f u l in t he co nsu m er m ar k et s e. g . t r anspo r t at io n and r et ail w her e phy sical asset s ar e co nsu m ed as ser v ices. H o w ev er , as t he b r av e new w o r ld o f co m m er ce u nf o lds, shar ing eco no m y m o dels w ill m ak e r apid inr o ads t o inclu de a w ho le r ang e o f int ang ib le ser v ices su ch as o n- dem and cleaning ser v ices and deliv er y ser v ices. F u r t her m o r e, t he pr o v en su ccess o f t he shar ing eco no m y has hu g e po t ent ial t o b e r eplicat ed acr o ss indu st r ies su ch as healt hcar e and edu cat io n. V ar io u s f act o r s m ak e t hese indu st r ies “ shar ing eco no m y - r eady ” . Int ense competition and inherent inefficiencies in delivering education and car e ar e dr iv ing pr o v ider s’ r elent less f o cu s o n eco no m ies o f scale, and dig it al t echno lo g ies ( clo u d, m o b ilit y , so cial m edia and analy t ics) ar e lay ing st r o ng g r o u ndw o r k f o r m ak ing seam less shar ing po ssib le in t hese indu st r ies. S o m e u se- cases inclu de t r anspo r t at io n ag g r eg at o r o f f er ing it s plat f o r m f o r hear t - disease scr eening s o r adm inist er ing v accines. N u r ses, w ho w o r k f o r ser v ice pr o v ider s inst ead o f o ne par t icu lar ho spit al — t hey ar e t o ld w her e t o r epo r t , b ased o n need. S im ilar ly , apply ing shar ing m o del t o edu cat io n is a m aj o r st ep t o m ak e edu cat io nal r eso u r ces accessib le and r eadily av ailab le. A k no w ledg e m ar k et place can pr o v ide a po w er f u l su pplem ent t o t he t r adit io nal lear ning ex per ience.

The ev o lv ing shar ing eco no m y b u siness models may lead to significant regulatory chang es. A t t he m o m ent , ho w ev er , t he shar ing eco no m y m ar k et is g r o w ing at a q u ick pace w it h new st ar t - u ps em er g ing in ex ist ing and new cat eg o r ies. Techno lo g y has enab led t he co nsu m er t o ex per ience a new w ay in w hich g o o ds and ser v ices ar e consumed. Considering that the benefits of t he shar ing eco no m y m o del ar e v isib le, t he po t ent ial f o r g r o w t h is g r eat . A s clar it y o n t he r eg u lat o r y env ir o nm ent ar o u nd t hese b u siness m o dels em er g es w it h t im e, t he ex ist ing m o dels w ill adapt t o t he chang es and plat f o r m s w ill b eco m e m o r e secu r e b u siness m o dels. This w ill also enab le co nsu m er s t o ex per ience a b et t er and co nsist ent lev el o f ser v ice.

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The Indian landscape

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© 2 0 1 5 E r nst & Y o u ng L L P . P u b lished in India. A ll R ig ht s R eser v ed.

E Y IN 1 5 1 0 - 1 1 4 E D N o ne

This pu b licat io n co nt ains inf o r m at io n in su m m ar y f o r m and is t her ef o r e int ended f o r g ener al g u idance o nly . It is no t int ended t o b e a su b st it u t e f o r det ailed r esear ch o r t he ex er cise o f pr o f essio nal j u dg m ent . N eit her E r nst & Y o u ng L L P no r any o t her m em b er o f t he g lo b al E r nst & Y o u ng organization can accept any responsibility for loss occasioned to any per so n act ing o r r ef r aining f r o m act io n as a r esu lt o f any m at er ial in t his pu b licat io n. O n any specif ic m at t er , r ef er ence sho u ld b e m ade t o t he appr o pr iat e adv iso r .

B C

E r nst & Y o u ng L L PEY | A ssu r ance | Tax | Tr ansact io ns | A dv iso r y

EY refers to the global organization, and/or one or more of the independent m em b er f ir m s o f E r nst & Y o u ng G lo b al L im it ed

the rise of the sharing economy · 2015-12-04 · the sharing economy has been on an exponential...

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